Natural Health & Wellness

What’s So Special About Smith Brothers Cough Drops? An American Icon

What’s So Special About Smith Brothers Cough Drops? An American Icon TheWellthieone

At the wellthieone, we appreciate natural products that are effective and have been around a long time. Smith Brothers’ cough drops have been around for more than 150 years, and that certainly says a lot about the product. Better yet, they haven’t changed their recipe much, because why mess with a good thing?

Smith Brothers Cough Drops have been around since 1847, and they’re made with real honey and natural ingredients. They also have unique flavors, like warm apple pie, that are hard to find elsewhere.

These delicious cough drops are also known for their incredible effectiveness. It must be because there is honey in them. They’re made with natural ingredients, and they work quickly to relieve congestion and make you feel better overall.

The early, proud American story behind Smith Brothers’ cough drops

The story of Smith Brothers’ cough drops began on a cold, blistery day in the Hudson Valley near Poughkeepsie, NY. Sly Hawkins was a traveling peddler who would sell all sorts of wares to shop owners. 

He had been suffering with an unrelenting cough and decided he needed to do something about it. Mr. Hawkins mixed some ingredients together at home and experimented until he formulated the perfect batch of cough syrup that helped relieve his sore cough. He took that batch of his secret cough formula into James Smith & Sons’ Sweet Shop. James Smith tried it and liked the cough syrup so much that he decided to buy the recipe from Sly Hawkins.

Since James Smith owned a sweet shop, he started experimenting with the flavor of the cough syrup by adding, stirring, and mixing all sorts of different sweets and flavors into the mixture. With the delicious ingredients from the sweet shop, the first American cough drop emerged!

Cough drops developed by James Smith and Sons from an effective cough syrup recipe sold to him by Sly Hawkins have been embraced and enjoyed as a beloved American cough remedy for the past 150 years.  Smith Brothers’ unique ideas for cough drops continue to be legendary when it comes to over-the-counter wellness to this day.

In 1963, the Smith family sold their cough drop company to Warner-Lambert, and then in 1972, F&F Foods of Chicago purchased it. This is when production of the cough drops began in Poughkeepsie, NY. F&F Foods decided to diminish the original Smith Brothers logo in favor of theirs, so the recognition for the cough drop product diminished. After a foolish move that was later retracted, the Smith Brothers’ logo returned to the product, where it is found today.

What do Smith Brothers’ cough drops taste like?

Most other cough drops are made with artificial flavors and sweeteners, which can taste harsh and artificial. Smith Brothers Cough Drops have a much mellower flavor thanks to the honey they contain. And unlike most other cough drops, they don’t contain any artificial colors or flavors.

Our favorite Smith Brothers cough drops are by far the warm apple pie, found here on Amazon.

The Original American Cough Drop

The Original American Cough Drop
Source: amazon.com

If you are not feeling great, we figure you might as well pop something delicious in your mouth to help out!  We hope you feel better soon.  

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